In 2014, following a four-year review process, the EPA determined that the Bristol Bay watershed is too fragile to tolerate the risks of large-scale mining. It proposed restrictions under the Clean Water Act that would have limited the size and impact of the potential Pebble Mine.

On July 11, 2017, in an abrupt about-face, the EPA is seeking to withdraw these suggested protections to clear the path for the development of large-scale mining on state and federal lands. The Pebble deposit is in the headwaters of two of the eight major rivers that feed Bristol Bay. If built, it would be the largest mine in North America. Any release of the acidic waste generated from mining into surface or groundwater could be catastrophic.

Why should you care?

If we protect the Bristol Bay fishery, we can have both food and shareholder profits, jobs and a clean environment, year after year. This salmon industry generates more than $1.5 billion in economic activity annually and it supports 14,000 jobs in Bristol Bay alone. Fishing provides more jobs and state revenue in Alaska than mining. The economic benefits are felt along the entire West Coast, especially in Washington. The Pebble Mine would jeopardize this thriving fish-based economy along with the fish that feed millions.

Action: Load up the EPA with more comments!

Sample Comment:

“Bristol Bay supports the largest wild sockeye salmon fishery in the world. The EPA already determined that large scale mining is too risky in this area. Do not open this area up to mining. This kind of short term thinking is dangerous and threatens our Jobs as well as the environment.”